So a couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through my blog post drafts (a list of blog titles, fleeting blog ideas and unfinished works) and I found one titled Rome Part 2. This got me wondering, it was some months ago that I posted the part 1 and had never endeavoured to continue the series. I clicked on the title and there was nothing really to show for it, just “photo diary” typed at the beginning. Thanks, past Ash, big help! So, I’ve gone back through our photos from Rome, reminisced of a summer past and now I’ll share with you some of the Rome photos you may not have seen.

 

We went to the beautiful historic city of Rome in May last year, so we’re coming up to almost a year since we were there. I’ve collated some of my favourite photos of fun things we found, looked at and stumbled upon when we explored Rome a little deeper. Sorry about the slight delay with the publishing of this post. But it’s here now, so enjoy!

 

Orvieto

En route to Rome, our Topdeck bus stopped off at the ancient Etruscan city of Orvieto, located on top of a hill of volcanic rock. We all piled into a funicular to ascend the hill to the town. It was exactly how you’d imagine an Italian town to be, complete with amazing views of the Italian hillside.

 

Like any Italian town, there is an amazing cathedral, full of intricate detail and stories in the stonework.

 

The view down an ordinary looking Italian side street. Down this alley, we met a man who spoke very little English and went by the name The Wizard of Oz. He welcomed us into his toy shop with open arms. As we walked through the ordinary doorway we were transported to the most magical toyshop you can imagine. Displayed on every wall were fantastic handmade toys and displays, with a clap of our hands they would come to life, lighting up, moving and singing all around us. Then with a wave of your hand, they were silenced. He walked us through so many of his creative handmade gifts, gesturing and speaking in broken English. After half an hour of browsing the shelves of the wizard’s creations we wandered back out onto the street, but not before he gave us a postcard with a picture of the shop in snow. It was such a magical experience.

 

Cheeses, meats and wine, some of Italy’s finest!

 

I loved wandering the small Italian side streets looking for amazing hidden shots.

 

We walked up past the cathedral, into a shaded courtyard area. We sat on a brick wall looking out at the amazing views of the Italian countryside, weirdly, surrounded by cats. I didn’t question it, just enjoyed the feline company.

 

Rome

Piazza del Popolo

The first piazza we visited in Rome. Piazza is the Italian word for square. Rome is full of piazzas, and the piazzas are full of people, and the people are full of pizzas. Italy is great.

 

An Obelisk, taken by the Romans on one of their conquests into Ancient Eygpt. One thing I learnt about history is that back in the day everyone was taking over each other, taking the cool stuff from that place and just taking it home. So you come across some seemingly random statues or obelisks around Europe, generally, it’s been stolen from an old civilisation and kept as some sort of trophy.

 

Piazza di Spagna

The stunning and famous Spanish Steps, named Spanish after the Spanish Embassy in the square below. The steps were actually designed by Italian architects and funded by a French diplomat. And visited by around 4 million tourists a year, a very multi-cultural spot.

 

A cool cat just chilling in central Rome, lovin’ life.

 

 

Trevi Fountain

Although already packed with tourists, we piled down to the area in front of the Trevi Fountain. Squished between people, we elbowed our way to the front to catch a glimpse of the famous Trevi Fountain.

 

Obviously, I had to throw a coin in. According to popular belief the amount of coins you throw in means different things:

One coin = you’ll return to Rome

Two coins = you’ll fall in love

Threes coins = you’ll be married in a year

You can guess how many I threw in…

 

Pantheon

The Pantheon quickly became one of my favourite sites in Rome. It’s one of the oldest buildings in the city and is mind-blowingly massive.

The current building was built around 126AD and is one the best-preserved ancient Roman buildings.

 

My personal tour guide, giving me all the insider info on the sites and history of Ancient Rome.

 

The Pantheon is free to enter, you just have to be willing to line up. We may have spent about 20 minutes lining up. Not too long and shady in places (which you’ll be thankful for on a hot summery day in Rome), it was well worth it.

 

The Occulus of the Pantheon, basically a hole in the roof, lets natural light into the building which is the main lighting of the interior.

 

Italian streets are the cutest, and naturally, the bike with wine in it caught my eye.

 

Piazza Navona

Yet another beautiful Italian Piazza. This square was featured in the Tom Hank’s film Angels and Demons, which is a great watch, especially after you’ve been to some of the famous spots in Rome.

It was an absolutely stunning afternoon to walk around Rome. Blue skies as far as you can see and sun twinkling through picturesque buildings are enough to make me grin from ear to ear.

 

 

 

The wonderful thing about Rome is there is history at every turn. We were just wandering down the street, minding our own business and then BAM! out of nowhere, jumps thousand-year-old ruins, just chillin’, reminding us how old the city we’re visiting is.

 

Piazza Venezia

If you’re wanting a spot to view Roman traffic at it’s finest, this is a spot for you. The square is overlooked by the Altare della Patria or the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II who was the first king of unified Italy in the late 1800s.  As you can see it’s pretty large and not your traditional Roman structure. When it was built there was controversy as it was thought to be too big, “pompous” and lacking a dome on top.

 

Trajan Column and Forum

At 30 metres tall, the Trajan column tells the stories of Emperor Trajan during the Dacian wars. Carved into the tower are scenes and victories from wars dating back to the years 101-102 and 105-106. This column design has inspired many victory columns since its construction in 113 AD.

 

Walking by ruins of a two thousand-year-old marketplace, just mind-blowing!

 

Vatican City

We spent our first morning in Rome on a guided tour of the Vatican City. It was a very eye-opening and interesting experience, which you can read about more in my first Rome blog post. One of my favourite parts of the Vatican was the view from the St Peter’s Dome. What an amazing view over the Vatican and out to Rome!

 

 

My morning in the Vatican consisted of me half the time being super excited about beautiful art and buildings and the other half complaining of the heat because the only clothes I had that covered my knees were jeans. And it was TOO hot for jeans.

 

 

 

The Roman Forum

Another thing I talked about in my first Rome blog post, but I had to include it again. We were completely transported back in time by the ruins, we were left intrigued. and speechless.

 

Looking out across Rome from the Roman Forum to the Altare della Patria (the big white building with chariots on the top) in Piazza Venezia. As you can see it does stand out significantly from the other Roman buildings.

 

Colosseum

Turning up to the Colosseum is like meeting an old lady who in her mid-90’s but looks and seems much younger. For 2000 years old the Colosseum is doing pretty well for its age.

 

James couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. He bloody loves a history lesson and a sexy lanyard headset.

 

We were actually walking around the ORIGINAL sports arena. Most of our time was spent looking around and trying to imagine the stadium full of cheering fans and an emperor and perhaps some animals or gladiators about to fight in the middle. Some would say what used to happen in the Colosseum was brutal and sadistic. And yes, it probably was. But that was their sports, that was their entertainment, that was their rugby match. It was a completely different time. Times have changed, humans have evolved, we have ethics codes now. In this day and age those things would be utterly barbaric but at that time maybe it was different.

 

 

Roman History Museum

I just added in this photo for the story. James and I had spent the morning at the Colosseum and we’d stopped at a pasta place (of course) for lunch. It was the strongest heat of the day, even in late May, this was intense and we wanted to get out of the midday sun. So as we wandered, lost in the streets of Rome, we came across a museum of Roman history. Off we trotted for some more learning. The museum was filled with many different displays including really old coins with the first known drawing of the Colosseum and art pieces through the ages. But my story is about this statue, “the boxer at rest”.

Now something you may not know about me is I like to get up close with exhibits. We’ve been to plenty of museums and art galleries especially over the last year and I’ve developed this habit of getting as close as possible to the display without actually touching it. I don’t know why maybe it’s me subconsciously trying to get my money’s worth by getting an all-around experience. But it’s something I’ve been doing and there have been times when I’ve walked into barrier ropes or been told off by security. I must explain I have never touched the art or intend to, I just like to be as close as possible. Is this weird?

Anyway, we came across this Greek bronze statue. I leaned in close to check out the artwork and simultaneously an alarm began to sound. This gave me a fright and I leaned back and the alarm stopped. Oblivious to the potential correlation I walked around the other side of the statue and leaned in once again and this alarm sounded once more. This brought my attention to it. Curious to see if the alarm was sensing my “up close and personal” approach to art appreciation, I waved my hand gently around the edge of the statue’s podium. To no surprise at all, the alarm was set off once again. Next thing I hear is quick footsteps, and I begin to freak out that the Italian Security of Art Protection are about to come round the corner and take me away. Not quite, just another excited museum-goer, however, they’ve made me think twice about my leaning in close to artwork and sculptures. I still do it, but I’m just aware of it now.

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